The Buccaneers of Shadaki (5 page)

Weapons

The maximum number of Weapons that you can carry is
two
. Weapons aid you in combat. If you have the Grand Master Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery and a correct Weapon, it adds 5 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
. If you find a Weapon during your adventure, you may pick it up and use it. You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.

Bows and Arrows

During your adventure there will be opportunities to use a Bow and Arrow. If you equip yourself with this Weapon, and you possess at least one Arrow, you may use it when the text of a particular section allows you to do so. The Bow is a useful Weapon, for it enables you to hit an enemy at a distance. However, a Bow cannot be used in hand-to-hand combat; therefore it is best to equip yourself also with a close combat Weapon, such as a Sword or an Axe.
In order to use a Bow you must possess a Quiver and at least one Arrow. Each time the Bow is used, erase an Arrow from your
Action Chart
. A Bow cannot, of course, be used if you exhaust your supply of Arrows, but the opportunity may arise during your adventure for you to replenish your stock of Arrows.

Backpack Items

These must be stored in your Backpack. Because space is limited, you may keep a maximum of ten articles, including Meals, in your Backpack at any one time. You may only carry one Backpack at a time. During your travels you will discover various useful items which you may decide to keep. You may exchange or discard them at any point when you are not involved in combat.
Any item that may be of use, and which can be picked up on your adventure and entered on your
Action Chart
, is given either initial capitals (e.g. Silver Mirror, Gold Key), or is clearly identified as a Backpack Item. Unless you are told that it is a Special Item, carry it in your Backpack.

Special Items

Special Items are not carried in the Backpack. When you discover a Special Item, you will be told how or where to carry it. The maximum number of Special Items that can be carried on any adventure is 12.

Kai Weapon

Your Kai Weapon is a Special Item and it can be carried and used in addition to two normal Weapons. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery for a weapon type which is the same as your unique Kai Weapon, you may add the Grand Weaponmastery bonus of +5 to your
COMBAT SKILL
. This is in addition to the bonus gained when you use your Kai Weapon in combat.

Food

Food is carried in your Backpack. Each Meal counts as one item. You will need to eat regularly during your adventure. If you do not have any food when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. However, if you have chosen Grand Huntmastery as one of your four Disciplines, then you will not need to tick off a Meal when instructed to eat.

Potion of Laumspur

This is a healing potion that can restore 4
ENDURANCE
points to your total when swallowed after combat. There is enough for one dose only. If you discover any other potion during the adventure, you will be informed of its effect. All potions are Backpack Items.

Gold Crowns

The currency most readily accepted in southeastern Magnamund is the Noble. These are always carried in the Belt Pouch. It will hold a maximum of fifty Nobles. Gold Crowns are readily accepted at a rate of 1 Gold Crown for 1 Noble.

There will be occasions during your adventure when you will have to fight an enemy. The enemy's
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
points are given in the text. Your aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his
ENDURANCE
points to zero while losing as few
ENDURANCE
points as possible yourself.

At the start of a combat, enter your own and the enemy's
ENDURANCE
points in the appropriate boxes on the Combat Record section of your
Action Chart
.

The sequence for combat is as follows:

1. Add any extra points gained through your Grand Master Disciplines and Special Items to your current
   COMBAT SKILL
   total.
   
2. Subtract the
   COMBAT SKILL
   of your enemy from this total. The result is your Combat Ratio. Enter it on the
   Action Chart
   .
   Example
   You, Grand Master (
   COMBAT SKILL
   32), are attacked in a forest by a pack of Wild Dogs (
   COMBAT SKILL
   31). You are taken by surprise and are not given the opportunity of evading their attack. You possess the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-surge to which the Wild Dogs are not immune, so you add 8 points to your
   COMBAT SKILL
   . You also possess the Kai Weapon ‘Ulnarias’, so you add an additional 5 points to your
   COMBAT SKILL
   . This gives you a total
   COMBAT SKILL
   of 45.
   You now subtract the Wild Dogs'
   COMBAT SKILL
   from your own, giving a Combat Ratio of +14 (45−31=+14). +14 is noted on your
   Action Chart
   as the Combat Ratio.
   
3. When you have your Combat Ratio
   , pick a number from the
   Random Number Table
   .
   
4. Turn to the
   Combat Results Table
   . Along the top of the chart are shown the Combat Ratio numbers. Find the number that is the same as your Combat Ratio and cross-reference it with the random number that you have picked (the random numbers appear on the side of the chart). You now have the number of
   ENDURANCE
   points lost by both yourself and your enemy in this round of combat. (E represents points lost by the enemy; GM represents points lost by yourself — Grand Master.)
   Example
   The Combat Ratio between you and the Wild Dogs has been established as +14. If the number picked from the
   Random Number Table
   is 1, then the result of the first round of combat is:
   
   • You (GM) lose 3
     ENDURANCE
     points (plus an additional 1 point for using Kai-surge. This loss is in addition to the loss suffered as a result of combat).
     
   • Wild Dogs lose 9
     ENDURANCE
     points.
     
5. On the
   Action Chart
   , mark the changes in
   ENDURANCE
   points to the participants in the combat.
   
6. Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, the next round of combat now starts.
   
7. Repeat the sequence from
   Stage 3
   .
   

This process of combat continues until the
ENDURANCE
points of either your enemy or yourself are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If you are declared dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, you can proceed but with your
ENDURANCE
points possibly reduced.

A
summary of Combat Rules
appears in the back of this book.

During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade combat. If you have already engaged in a round of combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored, and you make your escape. Only
you
may lose
ENDURANCE
points during that round (such is the risk of turning tail and running away during combat!). You may only evade if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.

The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles you can achieve at each stage of your journey along the road of Kai Grand Mastership. As you successfully complete each adventure in the
New Order
series, you will gain an additional Grand Master Discipline and progress towards the pinnacle of Kai perfection — to become a Kai Supreme Master.

1.  
   
2.  
   
3.  
   
4.  
   
5. Kai Grand Master Senior —
   You begin the
   New Order
   adventures at this level of Kai Grand Mastery
   ⁸
   
6. Kai Grand Master Superior
   
7. Kai Grand Sentinel
   
8. Kai Grand Defender
   
9. Kai Grand Guardian
   
10. Sun Knight
    
11. Sun Lord
    
12. Sun Thane
    
13. Grand Thane
    
14. Grand Crown
    
15. Sun Prince
    
16. Kai Supreme Master
    

As you rise through the higher levels of Grand Mastery you will find that your Disciplines will steadily improve.

If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Kai Grand Master Superior, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:

Animal Mastery

Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this Discipline are able to deter predatory animals in the wild by exuding a scent which is repellent to them. In order for this improved Discipline to work effectively, a Kai Grand Master Superior must be aware of the species of predatory animal he/she wishes to deter. The scent can only be detected by the targeted animal.

Assimilance

Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this skill are able to create a noise and project it up to 15 yards away from their location. The noise is akin to the rumbling sound of thunder and it can be used to distract or divert an enemy's attention. This improved Discipline requires a degree of preparation and therefore it cannot be used during combat.

Astrology

Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this Discipline are skilled in the use of all mechanical devices designed to measure and/or observe the cosmology of Magnamund. Such devices include sextants, astrolabes, and orreries.

Herbmastery

Kai Grand Master Superiors who have this Discipline are able to purify water, thereby making contaminated or briny water suitable for consumption. Roughly two pints of water per day can be purified using this skill alone. This daily total steadily increases as a Grand Master advances in rank.

Elementalism

Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this skill are able to condense pure water out of the surrounding air. This water can be made to fall as a fine spray or as a sudden deluge. It can also be made to fill any suitable container or receptacle. Using this skill, Grand Master Superiors can create the equivalent of one large bucketful of fresh water.

Bardsmanship

Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this Discipline are able to utilize their musical skills to pacify an excited or hostile animal.

The nature of additional improvements and how they affect your existing Grand Master Disciplines will be noted in the Improved Grand Master Disciplines section of future
Lone Wolf New Order
books.

You are about to embark upon the final stage of a vital mission to return the fabled Moonstone of the Shianti to its creators.

Some of the material items that you will encounter during your quest will be of use to you, while others may be red herrings of no real value at all. If you discover items, be selective in what you choose to keep.

Pick your four Grand Master Disciplines with care, for a wise choice will enable any player to complete the quest, no matter how weak their initial
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
scores may be. Completion of previous
Lone Wolf
adventures (Books 1–21) may be advantageous, but it is not essential for the successful completion of this
New Order
adventure.

May the light of the Gods Kai and Ishir guide you during your important quest.

For Sommerlund and the Kai!

For three days you are treated to the lavish hospitality of the Elder Magi and the freedom of the wondrous city of Elzian. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, having fully recovered from the rigours of your journey to Dessi, you meet with Lord Rimoah in the Tower of Truth to discuss the final stage of your quest — the voyage to the Isle of Lorn. He informs you that passage has been arranged for you aboard a Suhnese trading ship called
The Azan
which sails tomorrow at dawn. The ship's master, Captain Jenkshi, has been paid generously to carry you to his home port of Suhn, and you can expect to be well treated by him and his crew. It will be a long voyage, some 2,500 miles in all, but not all of it will be spent at sea.
The Azan
will put in at several ports along the way, both to trade and to take on fresh supplies of food and water. Rimoah reminds you of the need for secrecy — nobody must know the real purpose of your journey. Jenkshi and his men have been told that you are simply a courier who is carrying official papers for the attention of Lord Zinair, the Dessian ambassador to Suhn. On arriving at Suhn you are to contact Lord Zinair who will arrange for your passage across the Sea of Dreams to the Isle of Lorn. Before you leave the Tower of Truth and return to your chambers, Lord Rimoah examines the satchel in which you carry the Moonstone. Its special korlinium lining meets with his approval.

‘Lone Wolf has prepared you well for your mission,’ he says, as he secures the buckle. ‘I'm sure I have no need to remind you to keep this bag closed at all times. You are about to venture through dangerous territory, and there are many who would give anything to possess the contents of this satchel. You would be wise to trust only yourself, Grand Master.’ (If you have not already done so, record the Moonstone on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. You carry it slung over your shoulder in its leather satchel.)

Rimoah escorts you to your room and tells you that he will call for you at an hour before dawn to take you to the quay. As he bids you goodnight, a doleful bell rings out in some distant part of the city. Rimoah's eyes fill with sadness.

‘What does the bell mean, my lord?’ you ask.

‘It signifies the passing of Lord Casis. He, too, is about to begin a journey. Alas, it will be his last. I must go now — I am being summoned to witness his departure.’

As he leaves, Rimoah pauses for a moment and then glances back over his shoulder. ‘You are welcome to accompany me if you wish, Grand Master. The passing of an Elder is a rare and special occasion. You may learn much from what you see.’

If you wish to accept Lord Rimoah's invitation,
turn to 225
.

If you choose to decline his invitation,
turn to 118
.